


Safe, even far from home

by Lilmoka



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Magical Creature, Thestrals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-06
Updated: 2012-05-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 22:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/399002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilmoka/pseuds/Lilmoka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luna likes Thestrals. She thinks they are beautiful, with their long leathery wings and those penetrating eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe, even far from home

Luna likes Thestrals. She thinks they are beautiful, with their long leathery wings and those penetrating eyes. She often brings them food, usually fresh meat she stole from the kitchen and watches them eat raptly. There's something mesmerizing in the way they eat, tearing at the skin with their teeth and munching happily.  
Her favourites are the pups. It's so cute, the way they wobble towards her, all legs and eyes, nibbling at her dress and rubbing their muzzles on her legs until she gives in and pets her. 

She met her first Thestral when she was seven. Her father had decided to take Luna in Ireland for a few days trip (he said he wanted them to have fun, but Luna remembers the way he had looked pleadingly at his wife, trying to convince her to come. She didn't come, she had nearly mastered a complicated experiment, she needed time to master it successfully). They went camping, because her father didn't like hotels.

She awoke at in the middle of night, her bladder so full she couldn't sleep anymore. She got up silently, trying not to wake her dad, and relieved herself behind the trees near the tent. Once she was done, she started wandering aimlessly, her head raised to look at the stars. She didn't notice the branches in front of her, not until she tripped on one of them and fell down. She tried to get up, but found she couldn't move anymore, her left leg wouldn't let.  
She wondered what to do: call for her dad, hoping he would hear her? Try to get up once more? Crawl through the forest, hoping she was going in the right direction?

In the end, she chose to wait there. Her dad would find her, he always did. With that reassuring thought in mind, she laid down, arms behind her head, and waited. Soon, sleep took her and she closed her eyes.

She woke up a short while later, confused and sore. Her back was complaining and she was cold, but those were not the reasons why she woke up: there was someone looking at her. She froze. She looked around but didn't see anyone, even if the moon shone its light all around. Luna didn't know what to think when she heard the steps come closer. She saw the leaves move, but there wasn't anything that made them move. She wondered if it was a type of Crumple-Horned Snorkack she hadn't known about.

Some time passed and Luna saw (or better, didn't see) thing get closer and closer, until she felt a warm wind on her face. It was the Crumple-Horned Snorkack's breath! She realized it was smelling her and she stayed quiet, even if she was thrilled to be this close to it.  
After a while, she felt a heavy weight settle next to her. She reached for it, but found no horn, only a warm, strong body and... Where those _wings_? Amazed, she tried to reach more of it, but her leg still wouldn't let her stand. She sighed and closed her eyes, marveling at the warmth the animal seemed to irradiate. 

Her father found her like that the next morning, curled up with this creature he approached reverently and called a 'Thestral'. Luna was a bit disappointed it wasn't the Snorkack, but she was still grateful it had spent the night sharing its body heat with her.


End file.
